Hello Folks...
The general consensus of the Organising Committee is that we will continue to plan for the September 2021 National meet.
This will be subject to one final review in early 2021 (January).
All being well....
Open borders should be routine by then. Tasmania opened its borders to WA,SA, NT & Qld today. Visitors can fly in, or travel via the Spirit of Tasmania. Visitors can transit to the Spirit of Tasmania terminal by transiting thru NSW & Victoria, but can only stop for fuel along the way. Covid safe rules will apply on boarding & disembarkation and in public areas of the ship.
On December 1 Tasmania will open its borders to NSW and possibly Victoria. So the transit requirements (only stopping for fuel) will only apply from the Vic/NSW border if Victorian border remains closed for general travel to Tasmania.
Tas e-Travel registration will be required..
https://arrivals.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Pages/default.aspxThe event will be run under COVID safe procedures as/if required. A COVID safe plan for the event can be put in place.
Vaughan is liaising regularly with local government re the proposed site. As noted previously, it is currently temporarily closed due to COVID restrictions. There has been no feedback regarding the site being permanently closed so we have taken that at face value. However, other options for a venue around Scottsdale exist if required.
Pushing out the date is the last option. It will be more likely to be a 12 month push out rather than 6 months. This is because there are usually more options when booking return travel on the Spirit in the Sept -Nov timeslot than in the March-April timeslot. Post Easter the boat is usually heavily booked with return travelers, many who have big rigs over 2.1m in height. This leads to capacity pressure for other vehicle/camper/caravan combinations.
An email came in from TT line to my inbox just now:
T
asmania is now open and ready for you to explore.
Rekindle your spirit of discovery, or reunite with friends and family, and set sail from $99* per person each way. Bring your car from $99* extra each way.
If you are travelling from South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland or the ACT you can sail to Tasmania from today. Access through Victoria is permitted for Spirit of Tasmania passengers that transit through Victoria by vehicle without breaking their journey (only stopping for fuel) to board the ship.
Passengers from Victoria and New South Wales, can look forward to travelling to Tasmania from 1 December* – book now so you don’t miss out!
For your peace of mind, you can amend your booking online without incurring any amendment fees, and in the event that border restrictions prevent you from travelling, cancellation fees will also be waived, giving you the confidence to book now.
Book today and sail away into your Tassie holiday.
So, we are keeping a positive outlook that all borders will be open by 2021 and that a COVID safe event can be held. As noted, we will have one final review early in the new year to confirm all borders are open. The TT line COVID cancellation fee waiver is a bonus, so if you are thinking about getting away within Australia in 2021 the Island is a great option and has managed COVID pretty well so far.
Cheers from myself, Vaughn & Danny.